Does a US National Parks Pass save you money?

Last updated on March 14, 2019

The US National Parks are one of the country’s biggest attractions, with 61 different sites featuring a range of landscapes from deserts and glaciers to caves and coral reefs. And that’s before you get started on the hundreds of US state parks, national forests, monuments and recreation areas. If you’re planning on visiting a few different National Parks in the US, the National Parks Service offer an annual pass that can be used as often as you like all over the country. But is the US National Parks Pass worth the cost, or are you better off just paying as you go? I got my calculator out after my southwest USA road trip and here’s what I found.

What does the US National Parks Pass cover?

The America the Beautiful US National Parks Pass is valid for a year, and lets a vehicle and up to four adults over 16 into each park for free (children 15 and under are free anyway). Where the park charges an entry fee per person rather than a per vehicle fee, the pass normally covers up to four people. However it doesn’t include extras like tours or camping and RV pitches.

The pass is valid at over 2000 federally-owned recreation sites across the US which are maintained by the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the US Forest Service and the US Army Corps of Engineers. It’s hard to track down a full list of everywhere the pass is accepted, but that will include all National Parks in the US as well as National Monuments, National Forests and Wildlife Refuges.

The pass doesn’t cover privately-owned sites like Meteor Crater in Arizona and Navajo sites like Monument Valley and Antelope Canyon. It gets confusing when you get to state parks – some parks like Red Rock Canyon in Nevada are covered by the pass but most aren’t. In places where the pass isn’t accepted there’s usually a sign to say so, but if not it’s always worth asking.

Bryce Canyon National Park

What does the America the Beautiful pass cost?

The US National Parks Pass costs $80 and is valid for one year. US citizens are also eligible for a senior pass if you’re over 62 ($20 for an annual pass or $80 for a lifetime pass), or a free pass for disabled people or the military. You can order the passes online or buy them at any of the National Parks, plus a lot of National Monuments, National Forests and state visitors’ centres.

There’s a list of what can be bought where here. The pass has space for two signatures on the back, so you can share it with another person, and the two people don’t have to be related. You do need to show photo ID every time you want to use the pass though.

Zion National Park

What does entry to US National Parks cost?

The pricing structure in the US National Parks varies. Each one charges a different rate and there’s a mixture of charging by person or by vehicle. Below are the 2019 entry charges for each US National Park. These don’t include ranger-guided tours, which you need to take in some sites like Mesa Verde and Mammouth Cave. These cost from $5 to $20 per person.

So is the US National Parks Pass worth buying?

Our southwest road trip route took in six parks – Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Zion, Mesa Verde and the Grand Canyon. The total entry costs would have been $185 without a US National Parks Pass, so having the pass saved us $105. If you add in the extra places we visited which were covered in the pass – like the Red Rocks area around Sedona ($7 per person) and Red Rock Canyon ($15 per vehicle) – then we saved $134, so the pass was well worth buying.

It’s worth doing the maths though as how much value you get will depend on which parks you are planning to visit. Our route took us through the southwest which has a lot of the most famous and therefore most pricey National Parks. But if you’re visiting an area like Alaska where most of the parks are free to enter, it might not be worth it. Though if there’s not much cost difference, then by buying the pass you are helping support a good cause.

But if you want to save even more, then on certain dates all US National Parks are free to enter – though beware they can get crowded. Free entry dates for 2019 are January 21 (Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday), 20 April (first day of National Parks Week), 25 August (National Park Service’s birthday), 28 September (National Public Lands Day) and 11 November (Veterans’ Day).

Fishing4Deals

June 6, 2013 at 2:11 pm

There is an added benefit if you are able to use your pass locally to gain admission to National Park Sites. In the Washington, DC area, Great Falls National Park is one of my favorite places to visit.

If you’re in the US and live near a National Park then it’s an especially good deal – I’d be in there all the time! Hope to explore the other side of the country a bit more next year so will look out for Great Falls.

My husband and I bought the senior pass a few years ago and yes, it has been more than worth it. The problem is that I always feel guilty using it! Our parks need every dollar they can get. so when we hand over our pass for admission, we always make a donation at the same time that is equal to or more than the admission price. So for us….no, we don’t save any money at all 🙂

The senior pass is a really good deal, so that’s great that you make a donation when you visit too. We tried to buy things in the visitors centres too so money can go towards the parks, they’re such a great resource.

I’ve always viewed the National Parks Pass as one of the great travel bargains in the world. In India I paid $25 to see the Taj, in Zimbabwe $30 for Vic Falls, etc, etc. With the parks pass, especially if you are traveling in the west and seeing multiple parks like you did, it is a great deal.

It’s a fantastic idea, especially like you say when you compare the prices to other areas (you’d pay almost £50 for a day ticket to Petra in Jordan) – don’t think I’ll have chance to see any more US National Parks this year but will try and get another pass for next year.

Natasha Perry

February 23, 2014 at 10:12 pm

thank you so much for this, we have been researching park costs and getting very confused! your post was so clear. thank you for spending the time to share your experience. we hope to do a self drive tour of california and the surrounding parks this summer!! 🙂

Vlatka

January 26, 2019 at 10:23 pm

Hello Lucy, please help if you can, it seems that NPs are in kind of a strike at the moment. The page where all parks included in Beautiful America annual pass is shut off !! Any other link with listed NPs maybe you know? Vlatka from Zagreb, Croatia 🙂

Veronika

October 5, 2016 at 10:40 am

Hello Lucy, I would like to ask if we can buy America the Beautiful—National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass as we are non-citizens of US (we will come from Slovakia). We plan to visit several (more than 5) national parks during our 3 weeks stay in USA.
We are group of 6 people and we would like to rent one big car for 6. Do we need to buy two passes?

Hi Veronika, it’s no problem for overseas visitors to buy the pass (I’m from the UK). For the number of people it depends on the park – in most they change a fee per vehicle, so that would include all of you. A few have a charge per person though, and in that case four of you would get in for free and you’d just have to pay extra for the two other people. But you shouldn’t need two passes. Have a great trip!

I loved reading your notes about the park passes. We’re a group of Canadians off on a motorcycle tour through Montana, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California, Oregon and Washington.

I thought I had everything planned and that the Annual Parks Pass would mostly cover our numerous destination places (except Goblin State Park and Antelope Canyon). But then I realized that there are also National Forests that charge a fee. I wasn’t sure if our Parks Pass would cover them – if not, it might add a lot on to our trip as we’re “just passing through” quite a few of them.

After searching for an answer, your research was exactly what I needed and is put simply, and all in one place. Some sites are confusing when looking for a straight answer but I got my answer right away here.

Tom

August 30, 2017 at 12:48 pm

Thank you! You have helped to take much of the frustration out of this. It’s very hard to get collected information across a lot of independently managed sites, and having it put together in this way is great. I’m coming over from the UK next week to tour Sequoia, Yosemite, Death Valley and maybe the Grand Canyon too, time permitting…
Thanks again!

George

April 24, 2018 at 7:22 pm

One thing I discovered after buying the annual pass is that some locations accept the pass or do not have entrance fees, but charge for parking. Mount Rushmore is one such park. Seems like a bit of a bait-and-switch. Something to be aware of.

Katie Christian

March 29, 2019 at 8:01 pm

Will the pass still cover 4 people even if you don’t drive a car into the park? For example Zion National Park gives you the option of parking in Springdale and taking a shuttle. Will the Annual Pass cover each person even if they don’t drive in via car?

J.M.

July 29, 2019 at 1:55 am

We purchased the pass for our Utah National Parks trip and it was well worth it. As an added benefit we used it when we visited the Cape Cod National Seashore later that summer. There are 5 or 6 beaches where the pass is accepted and they are stunning. Looking forward to 2020 when my husband turns 62!! Great article!

Don K

July 30, 2019 at 4:23 pm

I live in Cleveland, Ohio. I have recently used my pass at a couple sites nearby which are operated by the National Park Service – the Perry Victory & International Peace Memorial on South Bass Island and the James A. Garfield Home in Mentor.